The following is Part 2 of a series. Last month we looked at why making positive changes in our lives can be challenging, and how getting a little help from a personal Coach can be the boost we need. This month, we explore how coaching and self-guided neuro-plasticity can literally reshape our brain structure, dramatically altering our experience of life and the world around us.
I want to make changes in my life, but why not do it alone—why use a Life-Coach?
In recent years, neuroscientists made a great discovery: “Indeed, adults can learn!” It sounds funny, but it was previously thought that adults had a low capacity to change and remodel their brains (i.e., “An old dog can’t learn new tricks”). Recent discoveries based on new imaging technology revealed that adult brains are much more plastic, that is, capable of changing from experience, than previously thought. The challenge, then, is to figure out how to deliberately use this plasticity to remodel how we think and feel, so we can liberate ourselves from fear and doubt and let ourselves shine. As it turns out, neuroscientists are fans of life coaching as a way of remodeling our brains: “Coaching is…a way of facilitating self-directed neuro-plasticity,” (neuroscientist Jeffrey Schwartz, 2007).
When we encounter a speed bump on the road of life, an internal debate occurs between two regions of our brains. On one side, we have the frontal cortex, which is the brain region where pragmatic thought processes take place. On the other side, we have the amygdala, which is where habitual emotional responses (such as anger, fear, panic, and pessimism) are rooted. Unfortunately, for many of us, the amygdala frequently comes out the winner, which can have psychological/neurological effects ranging from making us feel helpless or anxious, to a full on “fight or flight” panic. These habitual responses have roots in both our individual natures and environment in which we were nurtured, so they are understandable, yet they can also be verydetrimental to our overall wellbeing. More often than not, the triggering situation really calls for emotional balance, not a “knee jerk” reaction.
To maintain our emotional balance, what we really need is an EXTRA BIG dose of frontal cortex pragmatism, which is critical for interrupting the habitual emotional responses that are triggered automatically by the amygdala. Because of the amygdala’s ability to hijack the pragmatic thought processes of the frontal cortex, having a coach can be like having a second frontal cortex as backup, to keep perspective when your primary one can’t! Coaching can help you become aware of the ways in which you behave reactively, and then help you create space between “you” and “the habit”. This newfound space gives you breathing room (both literal and metaphorical), and allows you to substitute new behaviors for old ones, bringing a sense of control over your destiny and an ability to deliberately shape your feelings and life!
Engaged people leading purposeful lives can have a big impact on their loved ones and the world at large. But sometimes long-standing habits can stand in our way. Habits aren’t so easy to change. According to neuroscientists, through a lifetime of use our habits have carved a deeply ingrained “groove” in our synaptic pathways. As we age this groove becomes deeper and deeper. Unless we take deliberate action to fill and smooth this thought groove, through coaching or counseling, we will remain unable to experiment with new ways to think and live.
Having a coach on your side will help with structuring new ways to think, ways to be, ways to act, and ways to achieve goals that seemed out of reach previously. Having a coach can help you to make educated decisions (from the frontal cortex) that serve your highest purpose, instead of involuntary responses (from the amygdala) that simply repeat past dysfunctional patterns. It can be very frustrating when we want different outcomes and experiences but keep creating the same old things! Coaching can help!
How is Life-Coaching different than Therapy and Counseling?
Coaching does not focus on the “why” but on the “what now?” The life coaching process shifts obstacles into plans and goals, looking forward instead of analyzing the past. Coaches work with highly-functioning people, meaning the client is healthy, willing, and fully capable of achieving their goals. Clients come to coaches not because they feel that they are ill or in need of therapy, but instead because they’ll be aided by someone who can provide guidance and motivation.
How can Life Coaching help individuals in their daily lives and overall life trajectory?
There are many types of coaches and areas where a coach can help you thrive, including: Wellness, Career, Transitions, Small Business, Relationships, Financial Health, Image, Transformation, Yoga, and Dreams/Intuition.
In my practice, while a client may come in looking for help in one area, due to my holistic approach, the effects can often be global. I have one client who originally came in for yoga/wellness coaching. She built muscle tone, straightened her postural alignment and naturally alleviated chronic pain that was a result of how she held herself. By alleviating her pain, she was able to be more active, which meant she lost weight and looks and feels great. Due to her feeling so much better physically, she is no longer worn out and cranky at the end of the day, so she now has a better relationship with her kids than ever before!
A good coach believes in the enormous potential of his or her clients and, as a result, expects a lot from them. This combination of support and unwavering belief means that clients often end up surprising themselves, as they shine brighter than they ever thought possible!
“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.” Herbert Otto. Dare to experiment with your life and be amazed at the results you yield!
Tiffany Chion is a life coach, yoga teacher, avid gardener, and cat lover. If you would like to have a FREE phone consultation with Tiffany, to see if coaching is right for you, call 860-342-8783 or email [email protected].